Waves, Whirlpools, and Wooing
by existence555
Summary: A series of events in which Minato and Kushina's relationship develops. Starting from when they first met, way before Naruto was born.
1. Punch at First Sight

**A/N: So I thought I'd write about stages in Minato and Kushina's relationship, this first one being right after they met for the first time. Tell me if you like the idea! Please, please, please review!!**

Jiraiya had sent Minato off to have lunch with his friends, and there was a new girl in the village who he thought Minato should know. That girl was a handful, but she was apparently quite talented. And she was Minato's age, about eleven. And now that lunch was over, Minato had come running back with a bloody nose.

"Minato, did someone beat you in a fight?" Jiraiya laughed, surprised that Minato had let that happen.

"No!" the young boy exclaimed.

"Then what happened?" Jiraiya asked.

"Some girl punched me," Minato sighed, ashamed of himself.

"I told you not to come on too strong!" Jiraiya reprimanded him, thinking of all the times he himself had done that.

"I didn't!" Minato insisted. "I just introduced myself to her, she's the new kid!"

Jiraiya put his arm around his student and gave him a napkin to stop the bleeding.

"Well you can't have all the girls," Jiraiya told him, watching in amusement as Minato made a disgusted face.

"I don't want this one Sensei," Minato replied.

He couldn't believe that his teacher would even think that! That girl was incredibly annoying, and she had punched him in the nose for no reason! He was definitely going to stay away from that Uzumaki girl. And that was final.

"Think before you say that Minato," Jiraiya warned him. "That's only what you say now, but someday…"

"Sensei I have thought all I need to," Minato assured him. "And I will never, EVER, like that girl."

"Whatever you say," Jiraiya smiled.

Minato wished he could wipe that grin off of Jiraiya's face but contented himself with forcefully wiping the blood off of his nose. He would never like that girl. Never.


	2. Unaccepted Apology

**A/N: It said in the manga that Naruto's personality was a lot like hers, so I'm trying to model her character after that. Anyway, review!**

"Hey Namikaze!" Kushina called, walking over.

"What is it?" Minato asked. "Are you gonna punch me again?"

"No," she sat down next to him. "I wanted to say sorry about that."

"W-w-what?!" Minato sputtered. "Why did you even punch me in the first place?"

"I thought you were going to attack me," Kushina replied.

A sheepish smile appeared on her face. It was kinda cute if you looked at it closely. Wait, what was Minato thinking?! She wasn't cute. She was practically the devil. What kind of person goes around hitting people for no reason? Minato quickly shook these thoughts out of his head.

"Are you kidding me?" Minato looked at her in disbelief. "I was going to shake your hand!"

"Well I realize that now," the redhead put her hands on her hips. "Aren't you going to accept my apology?"

"I don't think so," he rolled his eyes. "I think you did it just for fun."

Ugh, how was he so annoying? She was actually apologizing, and he wasn't even trying to make up. She was definitely going to steer clear of this guy, even if his hair was kinda cute. But he was such an unforgiving person! He was _not_ cute. Kushina made a mental note never to think that again.

"If you're going to be a stuck up idiot, then I take back my apology," Kushina glared at him.

"You can't take back an apology!" Minato exclaimed.

"Just watch me!" Kushina snapped, swiftly bringing up her fist and jamming it straight into his nose.

"What was that for?!" he inquired angrily, nursing his newly bloody nose.

"For being such a stuck up idiot!" Kushina shot back, walking away.

That Uzumaki was the idiot here, Minato decided. She was definitely the idiot, and he definitely didn't like her. Maybe he even hated her. Yeah he probably hated her, because when they were talking, he got this really weird feeling in his stomach.

She had been so nice, at least that's what Kushina thought. Kushina had figured that it was only her second week in Konoha, so she probably shouldn't make any enemies. But Namikaze made her so mad! While they were talking, he had made her whole body tingle. That meant that she was incredibly angry, right? Yeah, probably.


	3. Hungry and Broke

**A/N: Thanks for your review Honest Jimbo. Of course I'll continue it, I just accidentally pressed complete when submitting my story. :)**

It had been a few months since the second punching incident, and Kushina and Minato had managed to avoid each other. But as fate would have it, they were at the same party that night. Some kid was partying because he finally became a chunin, so he invited everyone he knew. (And some people he didn't, because Kushina had never even heard of him.)

Kushina was completely worn out and went to sit down at the ramen stand.

"One bowl of plain ramen please," she requested the guy behind the bar.

"Coming right up," he nodded.

He placed the steaming bowl in front of her.

"Thanks!" Kushina exclaimed, her eyes lighting up.

The noodles in the bowl were gone in less than a minute, and Kushina perked right up again. That is, she perked up until the waiter asked her to pay.

"But I'm out of money," she looked down.

She hadn't thought that she'd have to bring money to somebody else's party.

"I'll get it," someone next to her offered.

"Thank you so much!" Kushina smiled, turning to face him.

Her expression darkened right away.

"Namikaze?" she glared at the blue eyed boy.

"Don't give me that glare Uzumaki," Minato grinned. "I did pay for your ramen."

"Why?" Kushina asked.

"Because you don't have any money," Minato answered.

"But you don't even like me," Kushina rolled her eyes.

"Well unlike you, I can be nice sometimes," he said smoothly. "Don't get the wrong idea."

Kushina stared at him in wonder. She was happy that he had paid for her, but he thought he was the only one who could be nice? She'd show him nice. That's right, Kushina was going to be nice to a guy that she despised. Make that _the_ guy that she despised.

"You know what, I can be nice too!" she declared.

"Yeah right," Minato smirked.

"Well I think I'll pay you back sometime," Kushina shot back. "That's nice, isn't it?"

"If you think so," Minato shrugged, getting up.

"And where do you think you're going?" Kushina inquired.

"Somewhere without an annoyingly spunky redhead," Minato replied. "Besides, you're not going to pay me back right this second, right?"

And with that, he left, leaving Kushina completely infuriated.

"I'll get you back Namikaze," she yelled after him. "That's a promise."


	4. Date Requirement

**A/N: Please please please please please review! Okay, that's my a/n. :)**

"Listen Minato, it's my birthday, and I'm having a party," Jiraiya told him.

"So what do I have to do?" Minato asked, worried about what his teacher was about to say.

"You're almost a man, Minato," Jiraiya said seriously. "You are thirteen years old. And you have never had a single date."

"Oh no," Minato muttered. "Sensei, please don't make me do this."

"There are lots of girls after you!" Jiraiya insisted. "And you will bring one of them to my party. Because that's what I want as my birthday present."

"Sensei," Minato groaned. "Fine. When's the party?"

"Tonight," Jiraiya grinned.

Minato stood up abruptly and left.

"Where are you going?!" Jiraiya shouted.

"To find a girl," Minato answered, sounding very irritated.

Minato wandered around Konoha, looking around at the girls he saw. Most of them blushed when they saw him and they would definitely have said yes if he had asked. Then he thought that they might count on a relationship, but he only wanted something for this one time. He didn't want anything long term. He stopped by a random shop and looked at the trinkets.

"Looking for a present for your girlfriend?" the old owner asked kindly.

"No, actually I'm looking for a girlfriend," Minato answered.

"Well I've heard that Kushina-chan has transformed into quite the beauty," the owner nudged him suggestively.

"Really?" Minato feigned interest. "I'll be leaving now…"

Well he supposed that could work. She did owe him. After all, she had never paid him back after that ramen paying incident. And she would never want a relationship with him, so it would just be a onetime thing. So Minato headed straight to the ramen stand, where Kushina was sitting with a stack of bowls in front of her. There was some guy next to her that was desperately trying to talk to her.

"Hey Uzumaki!" Minato greeted her, nonchalantly pushing the guy off the chair and sitting down himself.

"Namikaze, what are you doing here?" Kushina narrowed her eyes suspiciously, ignoring the guy lying on the ground and shouting at Minato.

"Look, I need you to pay me back," Minato told her.

"But I'm out of money again," Kushina shrugged. "I spent it all on ramen."

"Well then, you'll just have to pay me back in a different way," Minato grinned.

"Ew, Namikaze don't think like that!" she glared at him.

What was this blonde idiot thinking? She wasn't that kind of person.

"Not like _that_," Minato sighed. "I need you to be my date."

What was she thinking? He was a perfectly normal kind of person, not like _that_.

"I don't think so," Kushina laughed.

"You do owe me," he reminded her. "It's not like a real thing. Just one time."

"Well I can be nice too," she relented. "Fine."

"Well then I'll pick you up tonight," Minato confirmed.

"Whatever," Kushina waved it away. "See you later Namikaze!"


	5. First Date?

**A/N: I really hope that someone is enjoying all these little exchanges. Review please!!**

Kushina was annoyed. She couldn't find a dress to wear. She wasn't sure why she cared so much about what stupid dress she wore for that stupid date with Namikaze, but she did want to look pretty. Well she supposed Jiraiya-sensei wasn't so bad. He was super perverted though. But she had already promised.

She ended up choosing a strapless blue dress that came just above her knee so that it was revealing but not too revealing. She was totally overthinking this. Then she heard a voice outside her window.

"Hi Uzumaki!" Minato yelled. "Are you ready yet?"

"Yeah I'm coming," Kushina responded. "I'll be there in a second!"

She hurried downstairs to find him all dressed up, wearing a nice shirt and jeans, for a change. He looked nicer in this than he did in ninja clothing. Not that she cared of course. She didn't care what he looked like. Even if he did look cute.

"Wow," Minato laughed. "You actually look like a girl."

"Shut up," Kushina growled. "Let's get this over with."

"Uh, thanks for doing this Uzumaki," Minato grinned. "You didn't have to."

"Well you could have fooled me," she muttered.

They walked to Jiraiya's house, not realizing that they took the long way. Minato was surprised that they had so much to talk about and that they talked about it so easily. The conversation flowed, and it wasn't awkward at all. When they finally arrived at their location, they were half an hour late.

Jiraiya answered the door, already looking drunk.

"Hey Minato!!" he exclaimed, looking over his student and his student's date.

"Uh, hi Sensei," Minato said. "I think you've had too much alcohol."

"And I think that's ridiculous," Jiraiya chuckled. "Anyway, I called off the party that I had planned. Because some fans of my books showed up."

He opened the door a little wider to reveal all the scantily clad women dancing inside.

"Yeah Jiraiya-sensei I think we'll pass," Kushina automatically stepped away.

"Oh Kushina you're looking lovely," Jiraiya complimented her. "Who knew there was a lady under that tomboy?"

He turned to Minato, shaking his finger.

"Finish your date young man!" Jiraiya ordered. "Because we agreed that that would be my present."

"Yeah yeah Sensei, we're going," Minato looked at Kushina, who shrugged.

They almost ran away from Jiraiya's house, not wanting to be there at all. Who knew what that perverted old man was doing in there? Well, they certainly didn't want to know.

"Sorry about that," Minato apologized. "I didn't even need a date I guess."

"Yeah," Kushina agreed. "But it's okay. I had fun."

"You did?" Minato asked.

"Yeah, you're not so bad Namikaze," she punched him in the arm lightly, the hint of a blush creeping into her cheeks.

"Yeah, you're not either," he admitted. "And hey, careful with the punches there!"

They arrived at her doorstep, and Kushina turned to face him.

"We should hang out sometime," she smiled.

"Yeah I'll take you up on that Uzumaki," Minato returned the smile.

"Well now I guess we're friends, so you can call me Kushina," she suggested.

"Well then, uh, good night Uzuma…Kushina," Minato corrected himself quickly.

"Night Minato," Kushina quickly went inside and closed the door.


	6. Perfect Couple

**A/N: And they start getting hints of the sparks flying between them…**

Minato and Kushina had managed to stay good friends for a year or so, even though they were constantly bickering. She was much more outgoing than the composed Minato, which often led to him making a comment, which led to her screaming at him. Most of their friends were amused by this, and many times they had been advised to start dating. Minato and Kushina would usually just look at each other and make disgusted faces.

One day they were hanging out with a bunch of people in some training field, and one of their friends had a revelation.

"HEY!" she suddenly shouted.

"What's with you?" Kushina asked. "Did somebody die or something?"

"No!" she exclaimed. "You know that day, it must have been like a year ago. I think I saw you and Minato-kun out on a date!"

"Yeah right," Kushina laughed. "I don't think that's very realistic… I mean–"

"Oh yeah we were," Minato broke in. "But it was for Jiraiya-sensei. He asked me to go out on a date."

Kushina shot him a you're-so-dead look, and he answered it with a casual grin.

"And you picked Kushina-chan!" Kushina's other friend pointed out. "That's got to mean something!"

"It doesn't mean anything!" Kushina insisted.

"Yeah," Minato nodded. "I actually picked her because she was the only one I could think of that would say no."

"That doesn't make sense," Minato's friend shook his head. "Because then she wouldn't have gone with you."

"I paid for her ramen once," Minato shrugged. "So she owed me."

"So you went out for ramen another time?!"

The whole group's eyebrows were raised now, and they were looking from Minato to Kushina, with confused but excited expressions glued on their faces.

"Just stop it!" Kushina yelled.

Everyone turned to look at the angry kunoichi.

"Listen here you all," she snarled, looking very scary. "He paid for my ramen _once_ when I ran out of money. And I never paid him back, although I said that I would. So then when Jiraiya-sensei told Minato that he had to get a date, and he didn't want a long term relationship, so he asked me to go with him. And I did _so that I could pay him back_. And now we're friends. Just friends, do you guys get that?! DO YOU GET THAT?!"

"Yes," everyone gulped.

Suddenly, they all started making excuses, that they had training to do, people to see, places to go, and soon, only Minato and Kushina were left.

"You really scared them away," Minato commented.

"I did, didn't I?" Kushina laughed. "Well they were asking for it. I mean, how could we go out?"

"Well I guess it's possible," he nodded, acting like he was really giving it a lot of thought.

"I don't think I would ever go out with such an idiot," Kushina proclaimed, though she felt a sting that she usually only felt when she lied.

"Never?" Minato felt a flip in his stomach. "But I do have the looks in my favor, right?"

"Do you want to have them in your favor?" she asked, a smile tugging at her lips.

"Maybe," he replied thoughtfully.

"You really are annoying," Kushina pouted. "You can't even give straight answers."

"Well maybe I don't want to give straight answers," Minato shot back.

"Well maybe you have absolutely nothing in your favor," Kushina smirked, watching his blue eyes cloud over for a moment.

But just a moment.

"I don't think you should be talking," Minato shrugged.

About one second passed before Kushina tackled him.


	7. Spin the Namikaze

**A/N: I realized that my title was very similar to one of a preexisting MinaKush story, so I decided to change mine. I'm glad I noticed before anything weird happened. Anyway, review!**

"This is just stupid," Minato complained. "I'm not going to play this game."

"Suit yourself," Kushina shrugged, going to sit in the circle with the rest of their friends.

They were at a friend's party, one of the first that was held that year. And now they were playing spin the bottle, which was absurd to Minato but exciting for Kushina. He didn't think that 16 year olds needed to sit around in a circle and spin some stupid bottle just to kiss someone else, and possibly even someone that they didn't want to kiss.

"Kushina-chan, you can go first!" someone pointed to the bottle.

Minato felt like someone had punched him in the stomach. He flinched a little, attracting his friend's attention.

"Minato you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah I'm fine," Minato put a hand on his stomach, trying to calm it down.

"Okay I'm going!" Kushina put her hand on the bottle and spun it.

Minato watched as the bottle pointed from person to person and looked at all the guys around. Did Kushina really want to kiss any of them? She was getting prettier these days and most of them would be more than willing to kiss her. The thought of Kushina's lips touching any of theirs made Minato dizzy, and he fell off of his chair.

"Well that can't be good," Kushina giggled, looking over at the boy who was now lying on the floor.

Everyone stared at him. This was the Minato Namikaze who was considered a genius? Had he really just fallen off of his chair?

"I'll take him home," Kushina volunteered, getting up just as the bottle stopped revolving.

"Hey what about our kiss?" one of the guys asked.

"Really?" Kushina put her hands on her hips. "The idiot over there might be sick, and you're thinking about kissing?"

Kushina walked over to Minato's chair and pulled his arm over her shoulder.

"See you later guys," she grinned at the rest of the group.

They waved in response and they walked out of the door together. Once they were outside she started berating him.

"What was that for?" she hissed.

"You didn't have to help me," he informed her.

"Of course I did," Kushina shot back fiercely. "We're friends, aren't we? And I was about to kiss someone too!"

"Well maybe that's it," Minato muttered.

"You didn't want me to kiss someone?!" Kushina glared at him. "Did you fake that whole thing Minato?!"

"No!" he protested. "I swear, I got dizzy."

"But why didn't you want me to kiss someone?" she inquired.

She was still supporting him, and some sort of warm feeling was flooding into his body. This was ridiculous. Minato couldn't believe it. Jiraiya-sensei had told him that one day he would feel that way when he met someone special. (Though how could Jiraiya-sensei know that? Minato was sure he had met thousands of girls "special" to him.)

"I don't know," Minato answered. "And by that, I mean I don't know why I made that comment about not wanting you to kiss someone. Why do you want to kiss someone?"

"I think it's a good experience to have," Kushina answered promptly. "And you ruined it for me Minato. I'm totally going to kill you."

Minato turned quickly to face her. He took a deep breath and then took the plunge. Minato's lips were on Kushina's for just a few seconds, but it made his head buzz even more. Was it really just because of her? Because of the frustrating girl who went around punching people in the nose for no reason?

"W-W-What was that f-for?" Kushina asked, blushing so hard that Minato thought her hair and her face would soon match.

"Well now you have the experience," Minato replied coolly. "And you can't kill me."


	8. Hospitalized? Or Not

**A/N: Please review!! I'd really appreciate it. Thanks!**

"Kushina, you need to stop getting yourself beat up so badly!" Minato demanded.

He was wrapping his bandages in such a way that Kushina thought she might die from the sheer force that he was using.

"Can you be a little gentler?" Kushina winced as he tied the bandages extra tight. "And sorry that I can't go as fast as you can!"

"Well sorry that I'm not a medical-nin," Minato replied, annoyed.

_And that I'm not fast enough to save you_, he added silently, knowing that if he said that out loud she would murder him.

"Hey lovebirds!" Tsunade interrupted, walking in.

"We are NOT lovebirds," Minato rolled his eyes. "We're not even going out Tsunade-sensei."

"Yeah yeah you can deny it for as long as you like," Tsunade shrugged. "But we need hospital beds, and Kushina is among the less serious injuries. So she needs to clear out."

"That's fine," Kushina agreed.

Minato noticed the way she flinched when she tried to get up, so he tried to argue. Moving her in this condition would probably be incredibly painful for her.

"Tsunade-sensei, she can barely move!" Minato protested.

"Well then she'll just need someone to take care of her for today," Tsunade said. "Why don't you do it Minato?"

"Tsunade-sensei, I can't," Minato tried to think of an excuse. "I have to–"

"It's settled then," Tsunade cut him off. "Now come on, leave!"

Minato made a face at her as she exited the room and turned to Kushina.

"Way to get us stuck in this shitty situation," she glared at him.

"Just for a night," Minato pointed out. "It won't be that bad."

"I don't particularly want you in my house!" Kushina snapped.

If people had thought they were together before, this would probably seal the deal. Kushina decided that she did not want to risk her reputation like that. So it would probably look better if they were at her house, because she was the one that was hurt, not Minato.

"Well we could go to mine," Minato suggested.

"Stop talking to me like I'm some easy date," Kushina shot back. "Now let's go before Tsunade-sensei makes you immobile too. And we're going to my house."

"But how?" he asked. "You can't move."

"Just carry me Minato," Kushina sighed. "This is probably going to be the most embarrassing moment of my entire life. So you should be excited at the prospects of being part of it."

"You think this isn't embarrassing for me?!" Minato groaned.

He picked her up, bridal style, and started to walk out of the door. Kushina just tried to ignore all the scandalized looks that people were giving them as they made their way to her house. Although she was blushing madly, embarrassment was not the only thing she was experiencing. She was mortified, don't get that wrong, but being in Minato's arms… How could she describe it? It was the warmest place she had ever been, along with the most ridiculous, but it was also the… _safest._

When they got inside her room, Minato gently put her down on the bed.

"Can I do anything for you?" he inquired, sitting down.

"No I'm fine," Kushina replied. "Maybe you should rest Minato."

"No, that training exercise wasn't that bad," Minato waved it off.

"Excuse me?" Kushina stared at him. "That 'not that bad' training exercise is the reason for my injuries."

"Why don't _you_ get some rest?" Minato ignored what she said. "You're the one who's hurt."

"I'm going to sleep!" Kushina exclaimed.

She turned away from him and closed her eyes. Though she fell asleep quickly, she heard the last response that Minato gave her.

"I'll be here," he muttered. "In case you need me or anything."

He had pulled up a chair next to her bed and sat there almost the whole night, getting whatever she needed, blankets, water, everything she asked for.

In the morning when Kushina woke up, she was feeling better. However she realized she was not in stellar shape when she tried to move her legs and found that they felt bruised everywhere. Maybe with more rest, she would feel normal again. She turned over to try and relax, but in the process she noticed that Minato was also lying on her bed, asleep and breathing slowly. Kushina was about to poke him and tell him to get the hell out of her bed, but she noticed that his fingers were entwined in her own. Kushina thought it would be better just to leave their hands like that, so she quietly went back to sleep.

Minato eventually opened his eyes, and he almost jumped up when he realized that they were sleeping in the same bed. Then he tried to rub his eyes, but he realized that he was holding Kushina's hand. Though his eyes itched, he thought it would be better just to leave their hands like that, so he quietly went back to sleep.


	9. Raging Feelings

**A/N: Yes, I can't really come up with good names for OC's, so I used one of my favorite characters from Bleach for Kushina's friend. I only took the name, not the personality. Oh yeah, this one's a little longer than the others. Anyway, review!! :)**

"Hey Rukia, do you have a minute?" Kushina asked, running to catch up with her friend.

"Yeah, what did you want to do?" Rukia queried.

"Actually I just wanted to talk," Kushina answered honestly.

She grabbed her friend's hand and led her over to a couple rocks so that they could sit down.

"Infamous tomboy just wants to talk?" Rukia raised her eyebrows. "What's going on?"

Kushina looked around to make sure that nobody was watching before she started talking.

"I have these weird feelings," Kushina whispered. "And I don't know what to do about them."

"Ooh la la, keep going," Rukia encouraged her.

"You have to promise not to tell _anyone_," Kushina insisted.

"I promise," Rukia rolled her eyes. "Like I would tell anyone."

"Okay it's Minato," Kushina said quietly.

Rukia screamed, attracting the attention of most of the ninjas around them, forcing Kushina to hide her face until they all turned away. Rukia looked at her apologetically, but started yelling again when the people left.

"I knew it!" she shrieked. "I knew it, I knew it, I knew it! You guys are so perfect. But what kind of feelings?"

"Like I feel little tingles and weird things go on in my stomach and I don't know, I just feel weird!" Kushina exclaimed.

"You like him," Rukia winked. "You really really like him. You have to tell him! When did it start? Tell me everything!"

"I thought it was something like that," Kushina groaned. "Remember that training exercise a few months ago? And that spin the bottle party? Well…"

* * *

Meanwhile, Minato was talking to one of the people he trusted most.

"Sensei, my stomach does cartwheels and something flutters and I feel all warm inside," Minato told him. "I just feel weird!"

"I told you before," Jiraiya laughed. "You fell for her. Though I do recall that you said you'd never like her."

"Are you sure?" Minato put his head in his hands.

"Absolutely," Jiraiya smiled. "You really like that girl Minato. You should tell her."

"This is horrible," Minato sighed.

* * *

Kushina had gone to the ramen stand to mull things over in her head, because that was where she did her best thinking. Well, it was where the best food was anyway. She thought about the time he had taken care of her, the way he had paid for her food, their fake date, their oh so real kiss. She giggled over the thought that she had punched him in the nose multiple times. Kushina supposed she could like him. It was possible. She guessed. Ugh, who was she kidding? She had fallen harder than that time Minato fell off his chair.

Minato figured that he might as well let her know about how he felt. He didn't expect the independent kunoichi to reciprocate her feelings, but he didn't want to just keep it in there. He smiled when he thought about all the time they were friends, when they had fulfilled Jiraiya-sensei's date requirement, the time he took care of her and the way they had kissed… He supposed it had taken long enough, they were already 17 years old.

* * *

Minato knew she would be at the ramen stand. Was she never not there? Well unless she was with him, she pretty much lived at that place. Wow.

"Hey Kushina," he slid into the seat next to her.

"Minato!" Kushina exclaimed, dropping her bowl.

He put out his hand to catch it before it hit the ground.

"Sorry," she blushed, which was quite out of character for her.

"No it's okay," Minato shrugged, putting the bowl back on the table. "I have to tell you something."

"Me too," Kushina told him. "But you can go first."

"Why don't we do it together?" Minato suggested.

"Okay ready set go!" Kushina shouted.

She shut her eyes tightly and took a deep breath. When she peeked at Minato, she noticed him doing the same thing.

"I think I like you!" they confessed at the same time.

Minato opened one of his eyes to look at Kushina.

"Well that could work," he said softly.

"What?" Kushina was still dazzled. "What's working? We're working? Who are we working for?"

Then she gathered her bearings.

"Wait, you like me?" she asked in wonder.

"Yeah," Minato nodded. "And you like me."

"As more than a friend?" Kushina confirmed.

"Yes, Kushina, yes," Minato laughed.

"Then let's go out," Kushina stated matter-of-factly.

"Sounds good to me," he agreed.

"Hey and there's no awkwardness," Kushina remarked. "Because we already had our first kiss."

"That doesn't mean we can't have our second," Minato smiled, leaning in towards her.

Kushina felt his hand guiding her face towards his, and then his mouth was on hers. She broke away first, mostly due to the embarrassment.

"That was pretty smooth," she admitted.

"Not a stuck up idiot now, am I?" Minato grinned, reaching over to hold her hand.


	10. Winning

**A/N: Another shorter one. You don't mind, right?**

"MINATO STOP LETTING ME WIN!" Kushina screamed. "WHAT'S THE POINT OF TRAINING TOGETHER IF YOU ALWAYS LET ME WIN?!"

"Sorry," Minato apologized. "I didn't want to hurt you."

"EXCUSE ME?!" Kushina glared at him. "NOW _I_ AM GOING TO HURT _YOU_, AND YOU ARE GOING TO FIGHT ME FOR REAL, OKAY NAMIKAZE?!"

"Ooh you're acting tough," Minato pretended to be scared. "I'm so afraid now."

"You better be," Kushina gritted her teeth, winding up for a punch.

She ran straight at him, throwing a punch to his stomach. Her jaw dropped as Minato burst into a white cloud. She could have sworn that that was the real him.

"Shadow clone!" Kushina gasped, looking around for the real one.

"It's not going to be that easy Uzumaki," Minato grinned, appearing behind her with a kunai in his hand.

"For you either," Kushina returned the smile, bursting into her own white cloud.

The real Kushina kicked Minato down, and he was left lying on the ground, out of breath. Her foot was casually holding him down, and she had a triumphant look on her face.

"Ha!" Kushina exclaimed. "I sure got you!"

"Or did you?" Minato asked slyly, disappearing and leaving behind only white fluff.

This time it was definitely the real Minato who came and tackled her, pushing her to the ground under him.

"Fine," Kushina muttered. "You win."

"See, when I win you get all depressed," Minato groaned. "And when I lose, you get angry. So what am I supposed to do?"

"Just shut up!" Kushina snapped, kissing him fiercely.

As much as she didn't like him at this particular moment, having his tongue entangled in hers always calmed her down. Minato sighed happily, kissing her back and running her fingers through her hair. Then suddenly a kunai was at his throat, and he stared at her in exasperated disbelief.

"Like I would let you win," Kushina giggled.

"You do realize that I let you do that, right?" Minato smirked.

"Oh you are so dead Minato!" Kushina yelled as Minato started to run.


	11. Breaking News

**A/N: I'm not sure if I'll be able to get in another chapter before we send off my computer for a week or so to be fixed, but I'll try. (Oh right, I changed this a bit to have him nominated as Hokage instead of actually Hokage. Alstarryn pointed out that it would make more sense that way.) Review!!!  
**

Minato came running to Kushina's house and banged on the door, uncharacteristically excited.

"KUSHINA!" he shouted. "ARE YOU IN THERE?!"

"Chill out," a sleepy voice grumbled.

A tousled head of red hair popped out of the door, and Kushina was almost blinded by Minato's bright smile.

"Can I come in?" he queried.

"Minato it's incredibly late," Kushina told him. "It's like 2 in the morning. Can't it wait?"

"No!" Minato insisted.

She sighed and let the enthusiastic blonde into her house. After forcing him to sit down and more importantly sit _still_, she went to the kitchen and started making some coffee. She had the feeling that it was going to be a long night. Kushina came back out with two steaming mugs and sat down next to him.

"So why are you here at such a ridiculous time?" she inquired.

"Because I have the most exciting news!" Minato exclaimed, accepting the coffee. "Guess what?!"

"I already asked you why," Kushina groaned. "Are you really going to make me guess?"

Minato scooted closer and put his arm around her.

"You are currently going out with me, right?" he confirmed.

"Yes," she rolled her eyes. "Though I do sometimes wonder why…"

"Well that would mean," Minato continued, ignoring her comment. "That you're soon going to be the girlfriend of the Hokage."

"Eh?" Kushina looked confused. "I don't want to go out with Hokage-sama. That would be creepy."

It was Minato's turn to roll his eyes.

"_I'm_ going to be the Hokage," he grinned. "The Yondaime Hokage, if you want to be exact about it."

He had not been expecting such a high pitched scream to come out of her mouth, but it did.

"Why didn't you tell me before?!" she squealed. "That is amazing Minato and you've worked so hard and I'm just so happy for you!"

"Girls are so … _girly_," Minato laughed. "Though I never expected you to be like that. Anyway, I've only been nominated, but I'm sure I can do it."

"Shut up," Kushina retorted. "But I'm just so excited! That's awesome Minato, really."

She was on top of him now, her smile almost as wide as his. Neither of them realized at first just how entangled in each other they became, but neither of them tried to stop it. The clothes they were wearing came off, and gently, tenderly, easily, they displayed just how happy they were feeling at that moment. After they had finished, Kushina sat up suddenly, disturbed about something.

"Are you okay?" he said worriedly.

"Well this isn't how it was supposed to happen!" Kushina complained. "I was supposed to tell you that…"

She broke off, suddenly blushing.

"Supposed to tell me what?" Minato asked slyly.

"Don't tease me Minato!" she snapped. "I'll tell you if I want to, okay?!"

"I'm sorry," Minato apologized with a grin. "Did I make you mad?"

"Yes," Kushina huffed, turning away.

As Minato trailed delicate kisses down her neck, she bit her lip so she wouldn't smile.

"So you were saying," Minato said, trying to make her turn around.

"You should already know," Kushina stuck her tongue out at him.

"Three words," he whispered. "It can't be that hard Kushina."

"Oh believe me," she replied. "It can be."

"Fine then," Minato sighed. "I love you."

Kushina's eyes widened and she spun around to find him almost laughing.

"You idiot!" she exclaimed. "I was going to say that first!"

"I beat you to it," he shrugged.

"Well I love you too," she shot back. "So there!"

"That was exactly what I wanted to hear," Minato grinned.

Kushina tried to hit him, but before she had the chance he pulled her into a long kiss.

It wasn't as romantic as she thought it would have been, being in love or whatever, but Kushina thought this was equally as good.

She figured that it might even be better.


	12. Genins

**A/N: Wow, I haven't updated in a while. Oh well, my computer was gone after all. But anyway, school has started, so updates will be slower. Review!! :)**

Minato went to Kushina's usual training spot accompanied by a sheepish smile and a bouquet of flowers.

"What are you doing here?" she inquired angrily, not looking up.

"Look I'm sorry that I didn't show up yesterday," Minato apologized, holding out the roses hopefully.

"You stood me up," Kushina stated. "And that's something I really don't like. Especially when I've told you that I'm in love with you. I really don't want to be with you right now, _Namikaze_."

He watched (and winced) as she punched a tree forcefully. (That totally could have been him.) The tree split in half and it was about to fall on her, but she moved out of the way. Minato however, had been too preoccupied with watching her and the large trunk landed straight on him. He groaned as he realized that he had just allowed a tree to fall on top of him.

"Minato?" she called worriedly. "Are you okay?"

"I thought you didn't want to be with me," Minato replied.

Kushina lifted it off of him and helped him up, frowning.

"Idiot," she muttered. "I still love you, whether I'm mad or not."

He smiled at her. She didn't have to know that it didn't really hurt.

"So why did you stand me up?" Kushina demanded an explanation, her hands on her hips.

"I was busy with–" Minato began.

"Another girl, I knew it!" Kushina interrupted him with a loud exclamation. "Why couldn't you have just done the honorable thing and broken up with me, Minato? Just because you might be the next Hokage doesn't mean you can go around breaking girls' hearts, even if they are tomboys and–"

It was Minato's turn to cut her off, this time with a passionate kiss.

"Not with another girl," he said softly. "Never another girl."

"Then what?" Kushina asked.

"Actually I was assigned a couple kids," Minato told her. "Genins."

"Oh?" Kushina raised her eyebrows. "I see."

Minato looked at her in disbelief.

"You're not going to apologize?" he glared at her.

"No," she replied. "Why would I?"

"Never mind," he sighed. "You never were too good at apologizing."

"WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?" Kushina yelled.

Minato shook his head quickly.

_So much for being almost there on the way to Hokage_, he thought. _I'm still scared of my freaking girlfriend._

"Never mind!" Minato repeated. "Anyway want to hear about my team or not?"

"Fine," Kushina huffed. "But let's sit down at least."

They found a different tree, seeing as this one was completely destroyed. Minato pulled the reluctant and still annoyed Kushina onto his lap and grinned at her.

"So what are they like?" she asked, knowing he would want to be asked about it before explaining.

"They seem pretty okay," Minato shrugged. "There's an Uchiha who seems slightly obnoxious, but he's a good kid inside. His name's Obito and apparently his Sharingan hasn't activated yet. There's a medical-nin, Rin. She's supposed to be quite adept at medical ninjutsu and seems like quite a nice girl. And then there's Kakashi…"

"No way!" Kushina gasped. "Boy genius Hatake Kakashi? You're going to have your hands full with that team."

Minato rolled his eyes.

"I think I can handle it," he said with a smile. "They're not crazy like you. At least, I don't think they are."

Kushina ignored the jab at her mental state and frowned.

"Why didn't they give me a Genin team?" she pouted.

"Probably because the Genins would all be scared of you," Minato explained, his arms wrapping around her in what was supposed to be a comforting fashion.

"Thanks," Kushina replied sarcastically. "You always make me feel so much better Minato."

"You know it," Minato grinned. "And that's why you love me, right?"

She wriggled out of his grip and turned to face him.

"You just keep thinking that," Kushina smirked.

"I only think the truth," Minato shrugged. "Anyway, I did want you to meet my Genin team. Would that be okay?"

"Yeah, I don't mind," she answered breezily.

"Hold on just a second okay?" Minato put his finger up and was gone in a flash.

Kushina just shook her head. She was used to him popping in and popping out like that. A few minutes later, he came back with three kids in tow.

"Kushina!" he called. "Sorry I took so long."

"You made us run here," Obito grumbled.

"Hi," Kushina smiled. "I'm Uzumaki Kushina. Your sensei is an idiot, so don't be bothered by him."

Rin tried to politely stifle her giggle, Obito outright laughed, and Kakashi had no reaction.

"Why do we have to meet her?" Kakashi asked. "Is it necessary to become a good shinobi?"

"Kakashi, stop it," Rin nudged him. "She's Minato-sensei's girlfriend. And she's supposed to be a really great kunoichi too."

"I'm Obito," Obito introduced himself, sticking his hand out.

Kushina smiled again. She liked this kid at least, even if Kakashi was somewhat of a stick-in-the-mud. She grabbed his hand and shook it.

"You're pretty," Rin told her shyly.

"Oh I know," Kushina said cheerfully. "That's why your sensei is so lucky."

Kakashi just rolled his eyes, but she couldn't really make out his expression behind the mask. Oh well, the kid didn't seem too interested anyway.

"Yeah you kids run along now," Minato ordered. "I just wanted you to meet Kushina-sensei."

They waved goodbye as they left, Obito laughing and running after Rin, Kakashi disappearing off somewhere almost immediately.

"Well don't come to me for advice," Kushina stuck her tongue out. "They're going to be a hard bunch to deal with."

"Who would ever come to you for advice?" Minato shot back. "Please, I don't want to die."

"You're dead Namikaze!" Kushina shouted.

She tried to kick him but he dodged neatly. Kushina continued to try to lead at land at least one hit on him, but try as she might, it just couldn't be done.

"You're annoying," she grumbled finally, giving up.

"Yet you love me anyway," Minato smiled.

"Are you going to hold that against me _forever_?" Kushina groaned.

"Forever," Minato said seriously.


	13. Mission

**A/N: All you guys who have reviewed, I am so thankful. Please, keep reviewing!! (And those of you who haven't, please start now.) Review!!**

"Red Fox, will you please refrain from doing that?"

The familiar voice came right into her ear, almost making Kushina laugh before she remembered where she was. This was ANBU, and she had to be serious. She was on a fake date with an enemy ninja, trying to extract information from him. She would probably have to kill him later, but for now, she'd just try to tease things out of him.

She waited for her 'date' to excuse himself to the restroom before replying.

"Jealous, Minato?"

"It's Yellow Flash. And I'm _not_ jealous."

"Fine then, _Yellow Flash_. But a kiss is just a kiss, you know that. It's a mission."

Kushina heard a sigh and giggled softly.

"I'm the only person you should be kissing."

"Sweetheart, he's going to be dead in a few hours. It's not going to matter if I kissed him or not. He won't know, because, as I mentioned before, he'll be dead."

"I'll know."

"You are so jealous. He's coming back, I've gotta go. Love you!"

"Somehow I feel like that was sarcastic."

"I do love you! Now shut up."

A groan reached her ear before he went silent.

"Oh you're back!" Kushina exclaimed, feigning happiness.

"Yes," the man replied. "Maybe we can restart a little bit of what was going on before, hm?"

She twirled a red lock around her finger, a pretty blush staining her cheeks.

"How about a name, handsome?" she winked. "Otherwise, how am I going to know what to scream?"

Kushina raised her eyebrows suggestively, eliciting a chuckle out of the man.

"I'm afraid I can't tell you that," he told her. "Is there any other way I could convince you to kiss me again?"

"I'm afraid not," Kushina smiled, tired of this game that had gone on all night. "Unless you want to give me your leader's name."

He looked at her, shocked.

"Konoha," he whispered. "Damn Konoha."

His hands moved too fast for Kushina to see, and before she knew what was going on, she was trapped in a water prison.

"I knew I should have stayed somewhere public," she sighed. "Please let me out."

"No can do," he shrugged. "Too bad though, you were quite a good kisser."

Kushina rolled her eyes. Was that all men thought about these days?

"Hey, _Yellow Flash._"

"Yes, Red Fox."

"Get your ass over here. He's got me in a water prison."

"You would get yourself caught in one of those. I'm coming, I'm coming."

"Make it fas–"

Kushina couldn't even complete her sentence, because the almost immediate sight of Minato caught her off guard.

"How did you get here so fast?" she asked him.

"I have an enemy to kill," he informed her.

"Shit!" the other man cursed. "You're, you're, you're…"

"I see you've heard about me," Minato grinned. "Interesting that you could recognize me with the ANBU mask on. Slightly disturbing as well. Anyway, Namikaze Minato, at your service. We have orders to terminate you, and I'm very sorry about that."

"He's not sorry at all," Kushina interrupted. "He's actually pretty pissed off."

The man put his hands up in the air, as if surrendering.

"What did I ever do to you?" he asked, biting his lip. "Nothing, right? So just, let me off this one time man. It's cool, right?"

"You kissed my girlfriend," Minato frowned.

He motioned to Kushina, and she put her hand up in acknowledgement.

"You did kiss his girlfriend," she pointed out. "I give you maybe, five seconds?"

The man turned around and started to flee, but Minato appeared in front of him with a kunai.

"You should try going for single girls," Minato advised him, plunging the kunai into his heart.

The man dropped to the ground, his last expression of shock still pasted on his face.

Minato turned around and headed back to Kushina with a cocky grin.

"Four seconds sharp," he said. "Though your guess wasn't too far off."

"You scare me sometimes," Kushina shook her head.

She started to wring out the water that had soaked her when the water prison broke down. Minato took off his coat and draped it around her shoulders.

"You didn't have to do that, you know," Kushina grumbled, not wanting to admit that she was touched by the gesture.

"Then let's say I wanted to," Minato shrugged, a twinkle in his eyes.

She looked down at the dead shinobi, with an expression somewhere between amusement and disapproval.

"We got no information," Minato sighed, his gaze following hers.

"Oh on the contrary, we did get some," Kushina agreed.

"What?" Minato asked curiously.

She tilted his mask up for a few seconds so that she could press her lips to his.

"You're definitely a better kisser than him," Kushina giggled.


	14. Squabbling Shinobi

**A/N: Yes, this story is alive. I'm so sorry. I just kind of.. ran out of inspiration. Anyway, please accept this as an apology.**

Minato found himself knocking on his sensei's door much too late at night for his liking. He was almost scared of what he might find. Thankfully, the white haired Sannin answered the door, looking like he had been asleep, not engaging in any other suspicious activities.

"Minato, this better be a crisis," Jiraiya grumbled. "I have other things to do, like _sleep_."

The blonde nodded as he walked inside.

"Won't you come in?" Jiraiya muttered sarcastically.

Minato walked straight to a familiar couch and sat down. Jiraiya observed the way he put his head in his hands and the weary lines on his young face, so sighing, he went to join him.

"Fight with Kushina?" the older man asked knowingly.

"Mmph," came the muffled reply.

Jiraiya grinned and clapped a heavy hand on his pupil's back.

"Let's hear about it then," he chuckled.

Minato sighed and leaned back.

"She threw me out," he began. "I don't think I even did anything wrong, I mean, she isn't a regular girl and I like– love that about her. So–"

"You're getting off topic," Jiraiya interrupted. "What _happened_ exactly?"

"Well I guess she was talking to Mikoto the other day," Minato continued. "And apparently, Fugaku, the idiot, bought her a dress of some sorts. I guess I didn't notice how wistful Kushina looked when she was saying this, so like I do whenever Kushina talks about girly things, I kind of, erm, snorted."

Jiraiya went off into roars of laughter.

"I thought I taught you better than that," he said finally. "Every woman is, however deep you have to go find those feelings, still a woman, and Kushina is a woman. That little devil must have taken great offense to what you said, kid."

"I don't understand," Minato complained. "First, she says she wants to be treated like a person and not someone to be taken care of. And then all of a sudden, she wants to be taken care of. It's _ridiculous_."

Jiraiya almost laughed at the boyish look on the usually serious shinobi's face, but he decided against it.

"Women are ridiculous," he agreed. "But we love them anyway. So now we have to go about pacifying your sweetheart of a girlfriend. Let's start with flowers. Then, you have to go out on a nice, probably very costly, date. After the date, you must present her with a dress of your own choice. How does that sound for appeasement?"

Minato's lips twisted into a wry smile.

"It sounds good, Sensei," he acknowledged.

"All right then!" Jiraiya said. "You're off to Inoichi for a bouquet. Get his advice on which flowers to get. After that, get Mikoto's advice on where Kushina would want to go. They are best friends, after all. Finally, I myself will accompany you to buy her a dress."

"Let's do it, then!" Minato exclaimed.

He started off towards the door but didn't notice Jiraiya's steps behind him. He turned to find Jiraiya sweat dropping.

"Minato, I understand that you're anxious," he chuckled. "But it's one o'clock in the morning and I doubt the rest of the people you need to talk to will be as willing as I am to help you out at this time."

The blue eyed man blushed slightly and reached up to scratch his head.

"Sorry, Sensei," he apologized. "I forgot."

"Sleep on the couch," Jiraiya instructed him. "Then you can go, in the real morning."

As Jiraiya turned to go back to his own bedroom, he grinned at his choice for Hokage. The kid was talented; that was for sure. He did need to learn some common sense though. Luckily for him, he had one of the most no nonsense kunoichi by his side, and if Jiraiya had anything to say about it, she was staying there.

It took Minato a few minutes longer than usual to fall asleep and he soon realized it was because there was no fiery redhead snuggled against him. He reassured himself that the next day, everything would be better and the fight would be over. With this thought in mind, he drifted off into dreams.

"Oi, Minato!" Jiraiya exclaimed, whacking him on the head.

He sat up, startled.

"Wake up!" Jiraiya grinned. "The Yamanaka shop should be open by now."

"Where's Kushina?" Minato mumbled, still slightly disoriented. "My coffee…"

Jiraiya slapped him again.

"Kid, you have to stop her anger," he reminded him. "Now get up and go!"

Minato got up immediately.

"I'll be back later," he said regally. "Then we can go, er, dress shopping."

He walked out of the house, headed straight to the Yamanaka flower shop. He reached a few minutes later and entered the shop, amidst the twinkle of tiny bells that announced customers going through the door.

"Namikaze!" Inoichi called.

Minato tried to duck behind a bouquet, but the damage had already been done.

"If it isn't Mr. Yondaime himself," Inoichi grinned. "What can I do for you?"

"That isn't anywhere near finalized, Yamanaka," Minato shot back. "And I, uh, I need some flowers."

Inoichi nodded knowingly.

"Uzumaki dumped you and you need a new beautiful companion?" he asked.

Minato looked at him more calmly than anyone who had those words directed at them should have appeared.

"Yamanaka, nothing of that sort has occurred," he told him. "Actually, Kushina is just a little angry. So I thought flowers would be a good way to appease her."

"Women do like flowers," Inoichi agreed. "Now, let's see what I can do for you…"

He went to the other side of the shop and pulled out a bouquet of flowers.

"They're yellow tulips," Inoichi explained. "And, in the language of flowers, they say that you're hopelessly in love."

Minato frowned.

"The perfect insult to any manliness I had before," he muttered. "How much are they?"

"Don't worry about it, prince charming," Inoichi chuckled. "Just go get your princess back. Though, if you don't, let me know. I know a bunch of people just waiting for the day when…"

He trailed off at seeing the look on Minato's face.

"Who exactly are these people?" Minato inquired.

"Nobody, nobody," Inoichi replied hurriedly. "Off with you now, Namikaze!"

Narrowing his eyes, Minato left the shop. He made his way to the Uchiha compound, hoping Mikoto hadn't left yet. He got there and found her training with Fugaku.

"Mikoto!" he called.

She turned around and Minato caught the Sharingan just fading from her dark eyes.

"Oh, hey Minato!" she yelled. "What's up?"

Fugaku didn't bother to say anything, Minato noticed as he walked over.

"Listen, Mikoto," Minato began.

He wasn't able to finish.

"No, you listen, _Namikaze_," Mikoto said, glaring at him. "Kushina is not very happy with you. I hope you're here to say you're going to apologize, because–"

"Yeah, yeah," Minato broke in. "I'm going to apologize. I've already got the flowers and I want to take her out to dinner. Where do you think she would want to go?"

Mikoto didn't have to think before responding.

"Ichiraku, of course!" she replied. "Don't be an idiot."

"I'm not being an idiot," Minato sighed. "I want to take her somewhere _nice_. So it'll be like, romantic, you know?"

This time, Mikoto had to think.

"Oh!" she exclaimed finally. "Kushina and I were just talking the other day, about how amazing it would be to just go up to Hokage Mountain and have a picnic. You should totally do that."

"Sounds good," Minato agreed. "Thanks, Mikoto. I owe you!"

"Anytime," Mikoto grinned.

Now, Minato remembered, it was time to go get that dress. He quickly returned to Jiraiya's house.

"Sensei!" he said, walking inside. "You ready?"

Jiraiya came down the stairs, grinning.

"Got everything else?" he asked.

At seeing Minato's nod, his grin grew wider.

"All right," Jiraiya nodded back. "Let's go."

They walked aimlessly through the streets of Konoha before a dress caught Jiraiya's eye.

"How about this one?" the Sannin suggested.

He held out the sparkly mini dress and his face fell when Minato looked at in disgust.

"Sensei, Kushina does not wear things like that," he told him. "That thing would barely cover her hips."

Jiraiya mournfully put it back in its original place. The next few dresses he picked out were the same and Minato was about to give up when Jiraiya spotted the final dress.

"Minato!" he said excitedly. "That's the one!"

The blonde wearily followed his teacher's gaze to a dress. As he took it in, his eyes opened wider.

"Sensei, it's actually really nice," he remarked.

"Of course it is!" Jiraiya exclaimed.

He went forward to examine it more closely. It was a green dress, not too girly for Kushina's taste. It was green, long, and it flowed in a way that Minato could just imagine it clinging to Kushina's curves.

"This is actually a pretty good find," Minato grinned. "I'll take it."

He quickly paid the owner.

"Okay, Sensei, I've gotta go pick up some ramen," Minato said. "I'm going to have a picnic with Kushina."

"Isn't that cute?" Jiraiya chuckled. "Go on, lover boy. Good luck!"

Minato flashed him a smile before hurrying off to Ichiraku. There, he picked up four bowls of ramen. (One for himself, three for Kushina.) Then, he hurried off to their apartment.

Minato ran a hand through his hair, took a deep breath, and braced himself before knocking on the door.

"Coming!" Kushina sang.

She opened the door to find a sheepish Namikaze Minato standing outside, yellow tulips in hand.

"Oh, so you're back," Kushina noticed, her eyes narrowing.

"Before you throw anything," Minato replied hurriedly. "Take the flowers."

Huffing, Kushina grabbed the bouquet in the most unceremonious of ways possible.

"Can I throw something now?" she asked.

"Wait, there's more," Minato smiled.

He pulled out his gift from behind him and presented it to her. She glared at him again before swiftly untying the ribbon and opening the box.

"Minato!" Kushina sighed.

He waited, ready to flicker out at any minute. He wasn't quite sure whether she was angrier or pacified or none of the above. His wait wasn't too long.

"It's so pretty!" Kushina exclaimed.

She quickly dropped the box and bouquet and threw her arms around Minato so forcefully that he almost fell over. After taking a few steps back, he managed to hug her back.

"I'm glad you like it," he murmured.

"Thank you," she told him softly.

Minato held onto her for a few more seconds before disentangling himself.

"Now, I've got one more thing for you," he declared. "A romantic dinner, perhaps spent on Hokage Mountain?"

"That sounds good," Kushina replied. "I love you, Namikaze."

"I love you too, Uzumaki," Minato grinned. "And, you know, I'm sorry, for what happened."

Kushina shrugged.

"It's all good," she assured him. "Let's just go eat."

Minato raised an eyebrow and stared at her.

"Don't you have something to say too?" he asked.

"Um, no," Kushina frowned. "I already accepted your apology, sweetheart."

"I assumed I'd get an apology in return," Minato muttered. "Fine, fine. Let's go."

"Wait a second!" Kushina exclaimed. "You insulted my womanliness, if that's a word, and then you expect _me_ to apologize? What kind of ridiculous idea is that?!"

Minato let out a nervous chuckle.

"It was a ridiculous idea," he admitted. "Now, I've got some salt ramen here, so we should go before it gets cold, right?"

He watched as the glint in her eyes turned into a twinkle.

"Let's go then!" she smiled.

Together, they made their way up to the Hokages' stone faces, where they sat and ate their ramen, his arm around her shoulder. By the time they finished eating, night had fallen, and the stars were sparkling. Minato's head was in Kushina's lap, her hand on his chest.

"Well, that was successful," he sighed, relieved. "I managed to calm you down without getting anything thrown at me."

Minato didn't see the ramen bowl coming until it hit him in the nose.

"Don't think I missed that whole expected apology thing," Kushina told him. "I just didn't want the ramen to get cold."

He rubbed his nose gingerly, frowning up at him.

"That actually hurt," he pouted.

"Good," Kushina smirked. "It was supposed to."

He pulled her down to land a gentle kiss on her lips. As she broke away, she smiled.

"I'll always forgive you, you know?" Kushina told him.

"I hope so," Minato replied promptly.

Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, but it didn't take her long to grasp his meaning. Minato quickly pulled her down again and rolled over, leaving him on top of her.

"Not for that, jerk," Kushina said, sticking her tongue out.

She managed to roll him over so that she was on top and like that, they continued the whole night, stopping only to remove unwanted clothing.

**A/N #2: Well, here it is. My apology to you guys in the form of a lengthy chapter. Review, please!**


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